


Can't Keep Holding Onto Grudges

by girraffepancakes



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: (but this is a very lighthearted fic don't worry), (character death warning is for Keith's dad), Alternate Universe - College/University, Childhood Friends, Coffee Shop Lance, Flashbacks, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Minor Character Death, Lance (Voltron) Has ADHD, M/M, Mutual Pining, Shiro and Keith are cousins, Slow Burn, Texting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-04
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-01-29 07:33:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12626199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/girraffepancakes/pseuds/girraffepancakes
Summary: Keith and Lance have been best friends since they were kids-- well, until Keith has to move away. Upset with each other for various reasons, they lose contact and don’t speak for years. Now they are in college, though, and are given a second chance when they run into each other again. However, they aren’t the same now as they were when they were kids.





	1. Chapter 1

_Late again, McClain. Iverson’s gonna kill you for sure this time._

Lance tears through the hallway of his classroom building, scrambling up the stairs past a few girls he would definitely stop to talk to on any other occasion. It’s only the second week of classes at his new university, and he’s already managed to make an enemy out of one of his teachers.

Dr. Iverson is Lance’s calculus professor and, despite his Rate My Professor score, is extremely strict. Lance had only been late on the first day because he got lost along the way. Isn’t there some kind of free pass for the first day, anyway?

Apparently not, according to Iverson. Though Lance didn’t exactly help his case by being late three more times since then...

He’s still getting the hang of college, okay? He’s always been a late person by nature, but he’s hoping to break the habit soon.

By some blessing of whatever higher being is watching over him, Dr. Iverson is turned to write something on the board when Lance sneaks in and takes a seat in the back. He usually can’t focus sitting anywhere besides the front row, but he’s not going to test his luck by trying to get up there.

The back row may be far away from the board and filled with future drop outs, but Lance can manage for the day. Yep. He can _totally_ do this.

It’s only when someone a few seats to his left turns a page in his notebook that Lance realizes he forgot his notebook in his dorm room. Awesome.

“ _Hey!”_ Lance whispers over the empty seats between them. He gestures to the notebook, making a paper-tearing motion with his hands before clasping them together with the best pleading look he can muster. His older siblings say he has great puppy eyes, so he doesn’t hesitate to use them either.

They boy rolls his eyes, but gets the idea and tears a piece of paper out of his notebook. When he slides it across the lecture hall desks, their eyes meet and Lance jolts a bit.

_His eyes... No. It can’t be._

Lance looks away quickly, murmuring a thanks to the boy down the row. He has a habit of projecting certain... feelings, and now is unfortunately one of those times.

This isn’t the first time he’s had a mini heart attack when coming into contact with dark, indigo eyes. Sure this guy also had the piercing gaze and vague Korean-looking features, but there was no way Keith would ever grow up to be that hot. Keith was nerdy at best, alright?

Lance can’t really rely on that argument, and he knows it. He was pretty nerdy as a kid too, and look at him now. The argument he can rely on, though, is the fact that Lance thinks every Asian boy with dark eyes is Keith. And they never are.

_That guy is not Keith; Keith is gone. Never coming back._

_It’s time to get over it, Lance._

If he weren’t in a deadly silent classroom, Lance may have actually laughed at that. He’s never going to get over Keith. The possibility just doesn’t exist when he keeps holding out hope that Keith will magically show up in his life again. No matter how unlikely it is.

 

 

 

 _“What’s your name?” Lance stood with his box of chalk in front of the neighbor’s porch. His siblings were taking up all the space on his driveway and sidewalk, so he decided to ask if he could draw in front of the neighbor’s house instead._  

_Just like his mama taught him. She would be so proud._

_Before, he would simply do it without asking anyone, but that was when the house next to his was empty. Now there were people living there._

_What Lance didn’t account for was the boy sitting on said porch that looked to be his age. Lance was always looking to make new friends, especially when it came to sidewalk chalk._

_“Keith. Who are you?” The boy--Keith, apparently--furrowed his eyebrows at Lance._

_“I’m Lance!” He stuck out his hand, just like he saw his dad do whenever he met someone new. “Wanna come draw with me?”_

_Keith looked at the hand for a minute and scrunched up his nose before ignoring it and standing up. “Uh... sure. Let me tell my parents, though.”_

_Lance nodded and waited on the porch while Keith ran inside. It was only a moment before he came out once more, and the boys began drawing on the empty half of Keith’s driveway._

_Lance briefly thought about his options, but ultimately settled on a blue mermaid while he watched Keith start to draw something red. He didn’t talk much, but Lance liked Keith’s company and hoped that they would get to draw more before school started._

 

 

 

“Hey there, what can I get for you?” Lance smiles down at the short girl reading the menu. He thinks he’s seen her in the cafe a few times, but isn’t entirely sure due to the fact he only started work a couple of weeks ago. Though her large green hoodie and oversized glasses seem pretty familiar. 

“Mm... I guess I’ll just get a medium white chocolate mocha. And...” She looks down at her phone, probably reading an order from a friend. Lance has noticed a lot of people doing that. “A large green tea.” The girl reaches into her backpack to grab her wallet.

“Coming right up! Your total is $8.76, by the way.” Lance is grateful he doesn’t have to talk like this all the time. He’s an upbeat person by nature, but even he has his limits on pep.

The girl swipes her card through the reader, and makes her way over to the pick up counter.

“Since it’s not too busy, you can take a seat if you want and I’ll bring the drinks to you!” _Translation: please give me something to do, because you are the first customer in the last hour._

Thankfully, she nods and takes a seat. Lance steps around the counter a moment later, carrying a tray with the steaming drinks and watching someone burst through the cafe’s door. The stranger pulls off his beanie, and Lance realizes it’s the guy from his calculus class.

_Wow, it wasn’t enough to see him once this week... the universe really needs to rub it in my face that I really miss-_

“Keith! You are _so_ late, where were you?” Lance sees the small girl turn to the doorway and trips over a chair leg upon hearing the familiar name.

As if in slow motion, he stumbles forward and watches the boy--Keith, apparently--rush through the cafe and step into his path. Before Lance can slow himself, they are crashing into each other and two _very_ hot drinks are pouring all over the stranger. And he is definitely a stranger. No other option.

A wave of guilt crashes down on Lance, and he freezes in shock. His classmate clenches his fists and starts to look up, surely preparing to tell him off for spilling hot coffee and tea all over him. Lance watches his head slowly turn, but it stops as the boy’s eyes catch on Lance’s name tag. A moment of silence passes before he looks up, and every hair on Lance’s body stands on end as their eyes meet.

_No-- no._

__“Oh my god, Keith, are you okay?” The girl starts to get up from her table, but all that Lance hears is the name she shouts.

_NO. NO! Keith is supposed to be gone! He can’t just show up now, not after leaving! Not after I’ve spent the past four years trying to forget him!_

Lance only realizes that his chest is still pressed against Keith’s-- _Keith’s_ \-- shoulder from their collision when Keith starts to back away. It’s then that Lance also notices the look of sheer panic on his face.

“Keith-” Lance starts to reach his hand out, not knowing what he plans to do with it. He doesn’t get the chance to figure it out, though, because he can’t get out another word before Keith is turning and running out of the cafe.

Lance stands in the middle of the cafe, hand outstretched and staring at the space where Keith had stood, and tries to process what just happened.

“Um...” Lance breaks out of his trance enough to notice the girl standing a few feet away from him. “Do you guys know each other?”

 

 

 

Keith stands outside of his calculus class and pulls at the hem of his sweatshirt. He is more nervous for class today than he was when he first started at the Garrison a few weeks ago. Which is saying something; he’s dreamed of going to the Garrison ever since Lance showed him their flyer in 6th grade. 

_Lance--_

Nevermind about Lance. The point is, he had hyped the place up pretty high in his mind, so he was extremely nervous on his first day. At least he had Pidge, though, who helped remind him that his admission to the Garrison had to mean something.

Yes, Pidge; a friend who would never ignore him. A friend who would never blame him for something outside of his control or stop talking to him forever just because he was upset about--

_I thought I wasn’t going to think about Lance! Just because he’s sitting inside that room doesn’t mean you need to do anything about it. He probably won’t even talk to you, anyway. Just like before._

With that, Keith takes a deep breath and walks into the lecture hall. He takes his usual seat in the back, but doesn’t see Lance anywhere.

Deflating a bit, Keith assumes that Lance is either skipping or will be late again. Neither of which are his problem; he has better things to worry about, after all. Such as watching the door until class starts. For no particular reason, of course.

As predicted, Lance bursts through the door thirty seconds before class officially starts and grins sheepishly as Dr. Iverson shoots him a glare. Probably not wanting to stir up more trouble, he takes a seat in the back row silently. However, unlike earlier in the week, the back row is fairly full and the only empty seat upon Lance’s arrival is directly next to Keith.

Keith stiffens as Lance unceremoniously plops into his chair and opens his backpack. Apparently not finding what he’s looking for, he huffs and drops it on the ground, leaving him with an empty desktop.

Taking the hint, Keith sighs and rips out a piece of paper from his own notebook as if he’s re-enacting their exchange from a few days ago. He slides the paper across the tabletop and pretends not to notice the look Lance gives him.

The rest of the lecture period carries on without event, and Keith is itching to leave by the time the clock signals the end of class. Dr. Iverson is saying something about their online homework for the weekend, but he doesn’t bother staying to listen and makes a break for the door.

Thinking he’s made it away safely, Keith slows his pace when he gets to the stairwell. However, as he starts climbing down the stairs, a hand reaches out and grabs his arm. He doesn’t really need to guess who’s trying to get his attention, but he holds out hope until the last second as he turns and sees Lance’s face.

He seems to be a bit out of breath, so Keith gives him a moment to catch his breath before expecting an explanation. None comes, though.

“What do you want?” Keith steps to the side, trying to block foot traffic as little as possible while also standing in the middle of a stairwell.

Lance startles a bit and lets go of Keith’s arm like he’s been burned. “Um, I was just wondering,” he reaches his hand to scratch the back of his neck and looks to the side momentarily, “if we could talk.”

Keith considers being intentionally difficult and pretending to not know what Lance is talking about, but decides it would just end up being more work for himself in the long run. Without answering him, Keith turns around and beckons Lance to follow. After successfully making it to a small alcove in the hallway, Keith faces Lance with a raised eyebrow.

“What did you want to say?”

Lance breathes in sharply and stiffens, like he’s not quite sure of the answer to Keith’s question either. “Um, well, y’know it’s just been a long time, I guess. Oh, and sorry about spilling hot drinks all over you. My bad.” He coughs into his fist, and starts to talk over the silence that follows.

“Uh, congrats, by the way. For getting into the Garrison, I mean. That application process was not easy, I would know. But maybe you thought it was easy? Things are usually easier for you. Speaking of things being easier for you, are you getting the stuff for this class? Because I’m lost. Hey, maybe you could help me? I mean, you don’t have to, of course. Why help the guy that spilled hot drinks all over you, right?”

“It’s fine.” Keith cuts off Lance’s semi-ramble with the same guarded facial expression he usually wears. “Thanks, though. The application was pretty stressful, but I’m doing alright in Iverson’s class. I can help you, if you want.” It’s Keith’s turn to feel awkward now; he isn’t really sure how to act around Lance. He hardly seems like the same kid that Keith knew growing up.

“Great! So, let me give you my number, and then you can text me to set up a time?” Lance grins fully for the first time in their short conversation, and Keith is taken aback. He may look different, and his mannerisms may seem different, but his smile is still the same.

Gathering himself again, Keith nods and hands over his phone. Soon enough it’s handed back to him with a new contact filling his screen.

“Yeah, so, I’ll see you around, okay?” Lance smiles awkwardly again and shuffles off when Keith responds affirmingly.

Though the entire interaction had been extremely tense, Keith can’t help but be excited to see Lance again. He pushes the last of his hurt feelings away; they could wait.

 

 

 

The intermittent sound of tapping keys fills Lance’s ears as he tries to focus on anything other than the presence across the room. He and Keith had been “studying” together for almost an hour, yet neither of them had said more than ten words since Lance’s arrival at Keith’s dorm room. 

As Lance sits on Keith’s roommate’s bed, he wonders why they couldn’t have gone to the library like a pair of normal students. Sure, the private rooms were probably full and being away from muted chatter was better, but any normal sound would beat the deafening rigidity of the small room. Having his ex-childhood best friend around while trying to study was hard enough, but it was made even harder by being in his living space and being confronted by all the new aspects of his life.

Lance glances up at the walls and takes in the posters for various bands and movies; he knows some of them, but most of them are unfamiliar. Looking down at the space he occupies, he wonders who Keith’s roommate is. Is it the girl from the coffee shop? It would make sense, considering this is the gender neutral dorm.

There aren’t many personal pictures in the room aside from one on Keith’s bedside table. The picture was of him and an older guy at the beach. _Maybe that’s the cousin Keith went to live with when he left..._

At this point, Lance isn’t sure if Keith is actually doing anything productive on his computer, or if he’s acting like it to avoid any more of their painful interactions. When Keith looks up and meets his eyes, Lance belatedly realizes he was zoning out while looking directly at Keith’s face.

“Uh, sorry.” Lance looks away, feeling more socially anxious than he has in a while.

Keith huffs slightly and gets up from his bed. “I’m gonna go get lunch.” He starts to make his way to the door, and Lance feels some of his usual demeanor return to him.

“Wait, you’re just gonna leave me here?” Lance exclaims and jumps up after him.

Keith stiffens like a cornered animal. “Didn’t seem like you were getting much help from me.”

“W-Well, I’m just hungry! I’m gonna get lunch too!” Why does Lance make a challenge out of everything? Getting food isn’t a competition, and now Keith probably thinks that he’s forcing himself onto him.

Miraculously, Keith visibly relaxes. “Yeah, okay. Let’s go.”

Lance breathes a sigh of relief; maybe there’s hope for them after all.

 

 

 

“I can’t believe you tried to convince me you’re a vegan!” Lance pretends to be excessively hurt while Keith snickers into his fist. 

“Not my fault you’re so gullible.” The smile is evident in Keith’s voice as they walk back to his dorm together.

Lance scoffs in astonishment, but can’t help the smile from creeping onto his face as well.

“Okay, but really, there’s no way we are getting any studying done today.” Keith puts his hands in his pockets, turning to Lance.

Lance sighs briefly, accepting his fate. It is a bit disappointing, but Keith’s probably right. Either way, it was worth it for them to be able to break the ice a bit. “Yeah, you’re right. I struggled through last week’s homework; I can make it through this week too. You’re gonna have to help me before our first quiz, though. Google won’t be able to help me then."

Keith smirks slightly. “Sure. I gotta get ready for my next lecture, though, so...” Some of the earlier awkwardness returns, but Lance quickly overwrites it.

“No worries! Let me just grab my stuff from your room, and we can figure out another time?”

Keith nods, and they finish making their way to his dorm. By the time they get there, though, Keith’s roommate has returned. Lance isn’t particularly bothered by it, but Keith seems to be agitated by the fact.

“Pidge! What are you doing here?” Lance notices the slight crack in Keith’s voice, and subtly raises his eyebrow at Keith’s frozen form. At least his earlier guess was correct; it is the girl from the coffee shop.

The girl--Pidge, apparently--gives him an unamused look. “Um, I live here?” Her gaze shifts to Lance and piques with curiosity. “Oh, coffee guy, you’re here. You guys made up, I’m guessing?”

Lance isn’t exactly sure why, but she has a slight smirk directed at Keith as she says this. Before he can answer her question, Keith is jumping out of his stupor and answering over him.

“Yeah, totally, I was trying to take your advice, you know. Be more forgiving and everything?” His dishonesty is clear to everyone in the room as he starts madly gathering Lance’s things about the room.

“...Right. So what’s your name, coffee guy?”

“La-”

“Larry!” Keith shoves Lance’s backpack into his arms and practically pushes him out the door. “Anyway, bye, Larry, see you in class.”

The door slams in Lance’s face as he stands in the hallway wondering what just happened. He pulls out his phone and sends Keith a text simply saying “ _Um what.”_

“So... Larry, huh?” Pidge’s smugness is suffocating to Keith.

Keith simply shrugs his shoulders, trying to appear nonchalant. It was her own fault that he had to lie; if she gave him any reason to believe she wouldn’t meddle, he may have been inclined to tell her the truth. Besides, the name Lance would be too obvious considering the fact he’s spent many sleepless nights rambling to Pidge over the phone about his past best friend.

Though obviously unconvinced, Pidge lets the lie slide for the time being. Keith knows better than to let his guard down so easily, though. “Well, unless you recently developed a love for the color blue and animal stickers, _Larry_ left his notebook here.” She narrows her eyes, as if testing him.

Keith snatches the notebook and pulls out his phone. Dubiously, he answers, “Not a big deal, I’ll just text him.” Opening his text window with Lance, he notices an unread message from a few minutes ago.

 _ **Lance:**_ Um what  
_**Keith:**_ Sorry... I’ll explain later  
_**Keith:**_ You left your notebook here by the way

Keith regrets his wording, knowing it was his fault the notebook got left behind.

 _ **Lance:**_ Well shit  
_**Lance:**_ Can you bring it by my dorm later tonight? Assuming you don’t want me to come to yours to get it...  
_**Keith:**_ Yeah I can in a few hours just send me your dorm #  
_**Lance:** _ Sure, thanks

“So is Larry coming back to get it?” Pidge inquires, finally taking her eyes off of Keith in favor of checking her own phone.

“No, I’m going to take the notebook to his dorm later.” Keith grabs his backpack, ignoring whatever look he knows Pidge is directing at his back. “Anyway, I’m gonna head to class. Wait for me before you go to dinner?" 

“Yeah, sure.” 

Keith nods at this. Leaving his room, he finally feels like he can breathe again. Well, at least a little bit; the guilt of lying to Pidge still weighs pretty heavily on his chest. She’ll be furious when she learns the truth, but that doesn’t stop Keith from being glad she doesn’t know yet.

 

 

 

_“I’m running away for real this time.”_

_Keith made a noncommittal sound, his gaze unwavering from the Pokemon battle occurring on his DS screen._

_“No, I’m serious, Keith! I’ve had it with this family.” Lance whined from his bed, making Keith finally look up from his spot on the floor of Lance’s room._

_“What happened?” Keith knew Lance wasn’t actually going to run away; his friend frequently fantasized about leaving home, but could never bring himself to do it. Either way, Keith knew Lance was upset about something, and that was enough to garner his attention._

_“_ Well _, it all started when Lisa overheard me telling you about Nyma,” Lance began his rant, and Keith listened all the way through._

_Apparently, Lance’s younger sister had told his crush about his feelings, causing him total humiliation at school. His crush, Nyma, had rejected him harshly in front of all of Lance’s school friends and effectively ruined his reputation._

_Keith never knew why being popular at school mattered so much to Lance. Sure, it was nice to be liked, but Keith was more accustomed to his private school filled with kids he didn’t want anything to do with. It did matter to Lance, though, so Keith never pushed it much._

_“And that isn’t even the worst part!” Lance continued with his story. “Earlier, Lisa told Dad about it! I mean, it wasn’t bad enough that she had to destroy my social life, she needs to destroy my home life too. Anyway, I had to sit through 20 minutes of Dad telling me the importance of_ ‘being a man’ _and how I should have shown my dominance or something? I don’t even know, honestly. Point is, it sucked. Majorly.”_

_Keith crawled up to sit next to Lance on his bed. He hated the deep frown etched into his friend’s face, but thankfully he had an idea of how to get rid of it._

_“Well, you already knew your dad was gross, so that shouldn’t be too surprising.” Keith picked at Lance’s star patterned bed sheets, trying to find the right words to continue with. “And if Nyma really did that, then at least you don’t have to waste any more time on her. Now you know she’s as bitchy as everyone told you she was, and you can move on.”_

_Lance shrugged, though Keith could tell he felt slightly better._

_“Besides, you couldn’t run away and leave me behind, could you?”_

_Lance smiled slightly at that. “No way, dude. Can I stay at your house this weekend, though? I actually do want to get away from Lisa for as long as I can.”_

_Keith nodded, picking up his DS again. “You’re not gonna be able to catch up to me if you keep slacking off, I already got my fourth gym badge.”_  

_Lance squawked and reached wildly for his DS. “What! How are you already that far ahead of me?”_

 

 

 

“Lance, are you listening?”

Lance’s eyes jump from his phone screen to the patiently expectant face of his roommate, his small smirk fading slightly. “Sorry, what?”

Hunk narrows his eyes, but continues on. “I was just saying that we should try making something in the dorm’s kitchen this weekend. Do you have anything special you want?”

Blinking, Lance answers and glances down as his phone buzzes again. “Uh, no, you pick.” The same smirk from before edges its way onto his face, and Lance knows Hunk’s curiosity can’t be kept at bay any longer.

“Okay, I give. Who’re you texting? Is it a girl from one of your classes or something?” 

“No, Keith.” This is all the answer Lance gives as he continues to grin at his text conversation. Truthfully, he had been avoiding this conversation for a while and is continuing to attempt evasion by keeping his eyes locked on his screen.

Hunk can be pretty nosy from time to time, and while Lance usually doesn’t mind, he’s having a hard enough time understanding his situation on his own without having to explain himself to someone else. He knows that talking to Hunk about it would help him in the long run, though, so he sets his phone aside and gives his full attention to his _current_ best friend.

“Yeah, sure, is that someone you met in class? Because I know you definitely wouldn’t be texting a _certain other Keith_ without telling me first!” Hunk’s sarcasm and undertones of betrayal manage to wedge a healthy piece of guilt into Lance’s stomach.

“Sorry? I didn’t really know what to say...”

Hunk scoffs in disbelief, though not out of malice. “I just can’t believe it’s him! You’re actually talking to Keith Kogane? The kid from your childhood?”

Lance shrugs. “Yeah, I can’t really believe it either.”

“So what happened; how did you guys get in contact again?” Hunk sits up from where he had been reclined on his bed doing homework, ready for a full dish on the situation.

Lance situates himself more comfortably for the coming conversation he can’t really avoid any longer. “Well, it started when I spilled hot coffee all over him--”

“You WHAT?!” Hunk’s eyes practically bug out of his head at Lance’s opening statement.

“ _In my defense,_ he came bursting through the cafe while I was working! When I heard his friend call out his name, I sorta blanked and tripped. And, well, you know the rest.” Lance rolls his eyes at his own story, still in disbelief. “Anyway, we have a class together so we ended up talking after one day and decided to meet up.”

“And? Did you guys resolve any of your childhood drama?”

Lance sighs at this. “Not really. We’ve hung out a couple of times mostly for studying, but neither of us has brought up the past. Honestly, I just kind of want to forget anything ever happened between us and go back to being friends, and it seems like he’s fine with doing that too." 

Hunk turns sympathetic to Lance’s troubles. “Buddy, you know you can’t do that. I get that you don’t wanna get back on the wrong foot, but you’re gonna have to talk about it eventually.”

“You’re right.” Lance’s phone dings with another text notification. “For now, though, I think I just want to get to know him again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> author: [girraffepancakes](http://girraffepancakes.tumblr.com/)  
> artist: [mari-flower-dlart](https://mari-flower-dlart.tumblr.com/)  
> beta: [blipspan](https://blipspan.tumblr.com/)
> 
> A HUGE thank you to my artist and beta!! You guys were both so much fun to work with, and I can't thank you enough for your help through the writing process. I'm so excited for our next project!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this story-- I had a great time writing it! Keep an eye out for the other two chapters over the next week or so; it shouldn't be too long of a wait, because this story is already finished. Leave a comment to tell me about any thoughts you have; I'd love to read them! Thanks for reading <3
> 
> (Also this is a re-upload, because the first time didn't work rip me)


	2. Chapter 2

_**Lance:**_ So are you gonna make good on that promise to help me study before the next quiz?  
_**Lance:**_ Because in case you forgot, it’s in three days haha  
_**Keith:**_ I didn’t realize you were so desperate... I guess I can spare some time for community service though  
_**Lance:**_ I’m surprised you don’t have a court mandate to do so already ;)  
_**Keith:**_ Ha. Ha. I’m laughing so hard.

Despite his sarcasm, Keith does genuinely find Lance’s text to be funny. He was always pretty rebellious growing up, but it thankfully didn’t catch up to him in any way besides a few detentions in high school.

_**Keith:** _ Anyway I’m serious.. are you free any time tomorrow?

They continue to determine a time to meet up, and Keith can’t help but smile to himself. He feels eyes on him, though, so he rolls over on his bed to face the wall.

 _ **Lance:**_ Wow, I’m so glad I have you  
_**Keith:**_ I’m sure you are. I think anyone would appreciate a free personal tutor  
_**Lance:**_ Well, yeah

“Who’re you texting?” Pidge asks innocently; Keith knows better than to trust her tone,

“No one. Just someone from class.” Though Keith isn’t much better at gaining her trust either. Sensing Pidge’s attention focused on him, he rolls over to face her. He raises an eyebrow, waiting for whatever interrogation is about to ensue.

She sits up slightly, surely enjoying herself. “I don’t really believe that, considering the goofy grin that was on your face about two minutes ago.”

_**Lance:** _ But I’m serious dude, I’m glad to have you back

“See, that’s exactly what I’m talking about. You’re smiling like someone just sent you a picture of a puppy or something. You aren’t holding out on puppy pics, are you?”

Keith’s eyes dart to his roommate’s face, and his smile quickly drops. “What? No. I’m just... excited to help my classmate study for our test. He’s been having a hard time in class.”

_**Keith:** _ Me too lance

“Oh, yeah, I forgot you suddenly feel like helping strangers all of a sudden. It’s that guy from the coffee shop isn’t it? What was his name again; Larry?” She smirks at Keith, having already drawn her conclusion.

_**Lance:**_ :)  
_**Lance:**_ Anyway I’ll see you tomorrow I’m gonna head to bed

Keith huffs in surrender. He may have given up “Larry’s” identity, but at least Pidge has yet to figure out who he actually is. “Ugh, fine, you win. It’s Larry. He’s still just a classmate, though.”

_**Keith:** _ Okay, see you

“A classmate who you’ve spent time with outside of class multiple times,” Pidge says, emphasizing certain words in a way that feels a bit too pointed for Keith’s liking. He sends her a dirty look, and rolls over again without another word.

 

 

 

 _“You’re leaving?”_ _Lance’s eyes glossed over with tears after hearing Keith’s news. Keith mentally steeled himself at the heartbroken look on his friend’s face. He had already cried enough for the both of them over the last week._

_ “We already knew it was gonna happen, Lance. After... you know...” Despite thinking he was done crying, tears started to form in his eyes again. He looked at the star patterned sheets on Lance’s bed in an attempt to make the tears go away. It just made them come faster. “Anyway, I’m going to live with my cousin Shiro. It’s what my dad wanted.” _

_ Keith didn’t mention that Shiro lived several states away, but it wasn’t necessary. Lance already knew by the tone of Keith’s voice that it was far. _

_ “Why can’t you just stay here? It’s been fine for the last week. Wouldn’t you rather stay with me? I mean, you don’t even know this Shiro guy. What if he sucks?” Keith could tell that Lance was desperate. _

_ “If my dad thinks--” Keith’s voice cracked as he corrected himself. “Thought Shiro was good enough to put him in his will, then I trust him. Besides, we know the court would never allow me to stay here.” _

_ “Fine, then, we can run away!” Lance’s voice began to rise, and his tears started to gather faster. “It’s just like I always said!” _

_ Keith’s frustration built; he wasn’t angry at Lance for wanting him to stay, but talking about it more was just upsetting him. He wanted to stay more than anything, but it just wasn’t realistic. Lance would have to accept reality, just as Keith had to when he was told his father died in a car accident. _

_ Ignoring the comment about running away, Keith finally snaps. “It’s not going to happen, Lance! You know just as well as I do that I can’t stay here! In what world is it realistic for you to sleep on the couch forever while I live out of a suitcase in your room?” _

_ “We can share my room--” Lance’s eyes were pleading, and Keith wanted to be angry at his friend’s selfishness. _

_ “No! You know it can’t happen! There are a thousand other reasons!” Keith’s tears finally fell, and he hugged his knees to his chest. After a pause, Keith finally spoke again. “I’m leaving tomorrow. There’s nothing you or I can do about it.” _

 

 

 

Lance sighs at the rain falling outside. Usually the sight of rain makes him happy, but today he just isn’t feeling it. He passed his math quiz, thanks to Keith, but he can’t shake the gloom that has hung over him since he left class. Some days are just like that.

He wipes down a table that had been recently vacated by a group of friends, and his mind wanders to Keith. Lance is glad to have Keith back in his life, as he said the other day; however, it still feels off. No matter how relaxed they both try to be, it’s obvious that their past is still holding them back.

If he were braver, he would confront Keith about it, but he’s scared of how Keith might react. Walking behind the counter again, Lance decides to keep ignoring it for now. Maybe things will just work themselves out without any big conflict happening. He hopes that isn’t too much to ask given their track record.

As if sensing his thought pattern, Keith’s roommate walks through the door. Lance has seen her a few more times in the cafe, but this is the first time he’s had the opportunity to talk to her, because he had always been making the drinks while his co-workers staffed the register.

“Hey, Pidge! Good to see you again; what can I get for you?” Being that he knows her, Lance doesn’t turn his customer service voice all the way up, but throws in a little extra cheer just because.

_ It wouldn’t hurt to get on her good side... Keith might even appreciate it. _

“Oh, hey, uh...” Her eyes narrow at Lance’s name tag, and Lance belatedly remembers the name fiasco that went down the last time they spoke. “Lance.” She says this with a finality that is almost chilling, her previously friendly demeanor having been replaced with suspicion. “I’ll just have a caramel macchiato.”

“Haha, okay, coming right up!” Lance laughs nervously and takes her card. The air is thick with awkwardness as he swipes her card through the reader. Neither of them speak as Lance begins making her drink, but he can feel Pidge’s unnerving gaze on him the entire time.

He tries to smile at her (smiling is the best medicine, right?), but only really succeeds in grimacing as he passes her the drink. She soon leaves the cafe, and Lance breathes a sigh of relief.

_ So much for getting on her good side... _

 

 

 

Lance’s eyes wander across the library for what seems like the millionth time in the last hour. Keith has been trying to explain a calculus concept to him for the entirety of said hour, but Lance can’t bring himself to focus well enough to actually hear the explanation.

Eventually, he decides he’s had enough of trying to fight his brain into submission. Maybe if he gets up and moves around he’ll be able to focus later. “Let’s get something to eat; I’m hungry!” Lance says.

“Lance.” Keith steadies him with a look, and Lance sits back down with a huff. “We’re not leaving until you understand this. Iverson said it’s gonna be on our midterm, so it’s important.”

Lance rolls his eyes, but tries to make it clear he appreciates what Keith is trying to do. “Look, I know it’s important. I just--” Lance presses his face into his hands briefly, frustrated with the mental fog hanging over him. “I can’t focus. It’s just not happening right now. We can try again later.”

Reacting in the opposite way Lance would like him to, Keith pushes on. “If you’re distracted out here, we can use one of the private study rooms.” He raises his eyebrow, as if waiting for Lance to accept his proposal.

“Dude, you know that’s not gonna change anything.” Lance shifts in his seat, running his hands up and down his thighs.

“Why wouldn’t it?” Keith narrows his eyes, and a sliver of annoyance starts to peek out of the calm facade he’s been holding onto.

Lance looks at Keith with a similar bit of annoyance. “Um, because a private study room isn’t gonna fix an attention disorder?”

Keith stills at Lance’s response. “...What?”

Lance finally makes eye contact with Keith and realizes his mistake. “Oh, um... I forgot... You weren’t really there when, uh,” he clears his throat. “A little while after you moved, I was diagnosed with ADHD.”

Keith is silent, but blinks approximately thirty times.

“Look, it’s not a big deal. Just means I can’t always, like, focus on stuff, or whatever. Anyway, I actually am hungry, can we just go get something to eat?” Lance starts to nervously gather his books, watching for Keith’s reaction.

As if still in somewhat of a daze, Keith finally starts to move. “Oh, uh, sure. That’s fine. Sorry about, y’know...” Keith looks into Lance’s eyes with a genuinely apologetic expression.

Lance smiles as fully as he can. He isn’t angry with Keith, just a little sad at the gap between them. “Like I said, not a big deal. Now let’s go get some lunch!”

They both smile genuinely at that, and make their way out of the library together. 

Feeling his phone buzz, Lance pulls it out of his pocket and checks his text notification. “Hey, mind if my roommate joins us? I guess he’s having a rough day, he just bombed an important test for his class.” He smiles sheepishly at Keith, hoping he understands how it is.

Keith raises his eyebrow, probably trying to recall the approximate two minutes he spent with Lance’s roommate when returning his notebook, before ultimately nodding. “Yeah, that’s fine with me. By the way, what was his name again?”

“Hunk.” Although they had met before, Keith and Hunk hadn’t really interacted much, so Lance hopes everything goes smoothly. Unlike his earlier run in with Pidge.

Keith nods, and Lance finds himself noticing the way his hair swishes around his shoulders. He always teased Keith about his long hair when they were kids, but he doesn’t find it to be so bad anymore.

As they continue walking, Lance looks around to his surroundings. Sometimes it hits him just how happy he is to be here. It seems like all the things he’s ever wanted are falling into place-- getting into the Garrison, Keith coming back, Keith and him becoming-- okay, maybe not everything. Regardless, Lance feels very fortunate for the way things have been going recently.

“So, Hunk.” Keith clears his throat a little awkwardly. “Did you guys know each other before becoming roommates?” Lance watches as Keith glances at him through the corner of his eye, wondering why Keith seems so nervous. He supposes not everyone knows how easygoing Hunk is, though.

Lance tries for a reassuring smile, not sure if the message gets across. “Oh, yeah, we’ve been friends for a few years. He’s really cool; you’ll definitely like him once you guys can talk for real.”

Keith nods, seeming to let a little bit of the tension out of his shoulders.

Soon enough, they arrive at the dining hall closest to Lance’s dorm and make their way through the food line. Lance watches as Keith eyes the mashed potatoes heavily, but ultimately decides on yogurt and a salad. Lance isn’t so concerned with appearances and proceeds to fill his plate with pizza and fries.

After they sit and eat for a few minutes, Lance catches Hunk coming out of the food line. Not wanting his friend to miss them, he stands and waves his arms around to grab Hunk’s attention. He probably makes a spectacle of himself, but whatever.

Hunk shuffles over, and gives him a hug. “Hey, Lance. Hey, Keith; it’s good to see you again, dude.” He smiles, but Lance picks up on the fact it doesn’t reach his eyes.

Sitting down, Lance grabs Hunk’s arm. “So, Hunk, what happened? I thought you studied super hard for that test?”

Hunk sighs, sending a glance at each of the other boys. “I did; it just wasn’t enough, I guess. The study guide was pretty vague, so I accidentally missed a few topics that ended up being really big on the test.”

“That sucks, man.” Keith frowns compassionately, and Lance feels his heart explode slightly. His chest fills with warmth seeing his... whatever Keith is genuinely attempting to comfort his best friend. 

Smiling sadly, Hunk changes the subject. “Yeah, it really sucks. Anyway, though, how are you guys doing? Did you have a good study session?”

“Ugh, it was terrible!” Realizing he jumped in without enough context, Lance quickly clarifies. “Not Keith! No, he was fine as usual.” Ignoring the subtle smug look from Hunk, he continues. “I just couldn’t focus today. You know how it is.”

Lance pouts and watches as Hunk nods earnestly and Keith glances back and forth between the two of them.

After that, the conversation flows naturally despite various pauses as they eat in silence. Lance is extremely grateful to see his two friends getting along, even if Keith seems a bit awkward at times. That always was his nature, though.

Eventually, they are parting ways after their shared lunch. Hunk is going back to the dorm, and Lance and Keith each have classes coming up. Lance watches his friends walk in separate directions and hopes they can get together again soon. Maybe Keith could even invite Pidge (and maybe Lance can make up for getting on her bad side).

 

 

 

Keith turns from Lance and Hunk, thankful for a moment of silence before his next class. He enjoyed having lunch with them, but now he’s feeling tired after so much social interaction. Sticking his headphones in his ears, he scrolls through his music for something to clear his head. Before he can pick something, though, his phone vibrates in his hand from a text.

_**Shiro:** _ Hey, how are classes going so far? Haven’t heard from you in a while.

Sighing, he selects his “Recently Added” playlist and opens his texting app. He can practically hear the parental tone embedded in Shiro’s message.

 _ **Keith:**_ They’re pretty good  
_**Keith:**_ Pidge is doing good too since I know you’re gonna ask  
_**Shiro:**_ I’m glad :) Have you met any cool people so far?  
_**Keith:**_ Yeah I met a couple guys

Keith curses himself briefly; Shiro is definitely going to interpret that differently than he intended. He watches the typing bubble pop up and disappear a few times but already knows what’s coming.

_**Shiro:**_ Oh really?  
_**Keith:**_ Not like that... they’re cool though  
_**Shiro:**_ Sure, sure

Of course. Shiro always did insinuate romantic meaning behind his interactions-- why stop now? Keith cringes internally when he remembers the way Shiro treated his friendship with Pidge before he finally came out. After that, Shiro practically became Keith’s (undesired) wingman regarding any other teenage boy that crossed their paths.

Walking into his classroom building, Keith decides to wrap up his brief text conversation. Shiro is undeniably dying for insight into his recent friendships, but Keith figures he can survive another day or two without the details. Thankful for an easy out, at least, he postpones his surely coming interrogation for later.

_**Keith:**_ ....anyway  
_**Keith:**_ I have a class starting in a few minutes so I’ll talk to you later ok?  
_**Shiro:**_ Alright. Have a nice class, Keith.

He throws his headphones into his bag and sticks his phone into his pocket. He just has to hope that Pidge will leave him be long enough to decompress after class.

 

 

 

“Ohh, what about him? He looks like he works out.” Pidge giggles as she suggests a fourth potential date to Keith. Even before they got to the Garrison, she’d been pressuring Keith to finally try getting into a relationship when they reached college. No wonder Shiro likes her so much.

Thankful he got to rest before meeting her for dinner, Keith rolls his eyes and responds. “Let me eat my mashed potatoes in peace, Pidge.” He scoffs, but can’t help the smirk that crosses his face. “We don’t even know if he’s into guys, anyway.” 

At Keith’s first reciprocation of her antics, Pidge’s eyes light up. “Never know until you try, though!” She looks like she’s about to invite the guy to eat dinner with them before Keith grabs her wrist from across the table.

“ _ Besides, _ I’m not interested in hooking up with someone from our college dining hall.”

Pidge smirks. “Oh, right, right, I forgot you’re already head over heels for someone.”

“Excuse me?” Pouting, Keith takes another bite of his mashed potatoes. (They’re really good, okay? Although, anything is probably better than the cooking he was used to receiving from Shiro.)

“Don’t play innocent with me. I know all about your little crush on our dear coffee-making friend, Lance.” Keith’s pout deepens, and Pidge continues. “Yep, that’s right, the secret’s out. You know, if you’re gonna lie to me you should at least try not to be so obvious about it.”

Keith puts his fork down and looks off to the side. “What was I supposed to say, Pidge?”

“How about let’s start with talking about the crush you obviously haven’t gotten over.” She speaks gently and raises an eyebrow, not in malice, but in compassion. Pidge may be sarcastic and snide from time to time, but she cares about Keith and knows he needs to see that now.

“I’m not crushing on Lance...” Keith crosses his arms and hunches over his seat at the dining hall table. His defense is weak though, and they both know he’s lying.

Pidge reaches across the table with her palm up, offering it to Keith. He often acts like he doesn’t want to be touched, but she knows better than that. Unsurprisingly, he uncrosses his arms and takes her hand. “You should tell him, Keith. It’s not like you have much to lose after having spent so long apart.”

Keith furrows his eyebrows the way he always does when he’s in thought. “No, it’s the opposite. I have everything to lose. This is my first chance to have him back in my life, and I don’t want to mess it up. Plus I hardly know him anymore. What if he’s changed?”

Humming, Pidge picks up her fork again. “Well, what if he’s changed? You know you’ve changed too, but you’re still Keith. And it’s like I said earlier, you don’t know unless you try.”

Keith nods reluctantly, but doesn’t think he’ll be following Pidge’s advice very soon. He resumes eating his mashed potatoes, and they both laugh when he sighs in delight. No matter what, Keith knows he can count on Pidge to be there for him. And Shiro, even if he’s far away. Hopefully he can count on Lance, too.

 

 

 

Lance is restocking the fridge with milk, cream, and other ingredients when he hears giggling behind him. Standing fully and turning around, he comes face to face with Pidge and Keith. Pidge, seeming to have forgotten their last conversation, is giggling uncontrollably while Keith is blushing and glaring daggers at her. Lance shrugs, assuming he must have missed something.

“Hey guys, what’s up?”

Pidge nudges Keith with her elbow--  _ what’s that all about? _ \-- and Keith steps closer to the counter.

“Hey, um, Lance.” Lance still doesn’t understand why Keith is acting so strangely, and waits to see if an explanation comes. When none does, he responds.

“... Can I get you guys anything?” He asks with a hesitant smile looking back and forth between the two friends.

Pidge giggles again, and chimes in softly. “I’m sure Keith would like a tall drink of--”

“Tea! Any tea. Yep. Just tea.” Though it had started to fade, Keith’s blush is back in full force. He sends Pidge a panicked expression but smiles nervously at Lance.

“Ookay. Anything for you, Pidge?”

Laughing quietly, she shakes her head. “Nah, I’m good. I’ve already had three Red Bulls today, so I think Keith will go all brother-mode on me if I order anything else.”

Lance nods and rings up Keith’s order. After paying, Keith and Pidge walk over to the pick up counter while Lance prepares Keith’s tea. Holding up the box of peppermint tea bags, Lance glances over for Keith’s approval. After receiving it, Lance finds it impossible not to notice the way Pidge and Keith interact with each other.

From the way Pidge playfully punches his shoulder, to the way Keith ruffles her hair in retaliation, Lance can’t help but be nostalgic of when he and Keith were that comfortable together. He wonders if they will ever reach that point again; although, he wouldn’t necessarily mind other types of interaction, too...

Annoyed at himself for going down that road, Lance delivers the tea to Keith and tries to push thoughts of any kind of romance with Keith out of his head. He’s just trying to get back his friendship with the guy; dating is out of the question, at least for a while.

Returning to work, Lance ignores his emotional chaos and tries to focus on the tasks at hand. At least for a few hours, it’s just him, customers, and hot beverages.

 

 

 

**Hunk:** _ Happy birthday lance! _

_ Sighing, Lance tossed his phone onto his bed. He was disappointed in himself for getting his hopes up. When his phone buzzed at 11:48 PM, he felt a small blossom of hope that it might have been Keith. All day he had been hoping to get a text from him, but it seemed to not be in the cards. _

_ Sure, Keith hadn’t responded to his texts or calls since he left almost four months ago, but it was Lance’s birthday! Keith should have known how important it was to him. For months, Lance had been waiting to hear from Keith, but nothing. _

_ No “Hey, I made it to Texas!” No “I’m sorry for fighting, I miss you.” Nothing. Keith had been angry when he left, and it seemed he was still angry as ever. Truthfully, Lance had been holding out hope that his birthday would finally break the ice between them, but it wasn’t the case.  _ Maybe Keith would finally come to his senses, _ he had thought. Apparently not, though. _

_ Lance knew he should have been more patient with Keith, but he didn’t know how else to react at the time. Keith was right about having to leave, but Lance never thought he would hold a grudge about it for so long. _

_ He wished Keith would have at least tried to stay, but he knew that it probably never would have worked out. He also wished he hadn’t been so... irrational about everything. Keith’s dad had just died, for crying out loud! _

_ Despite how everything happened, though, Lance missed his best friend. However, it seemed to him that Keith didn’t miss him nearly as much. _

_ Responding to his birthday text, Lance decided to try making some new friends. If Keith was going to write him off, maybe he should do the same. Besides, Hunk seemed like a nice enough guy when Lance met him a few weeks ago. _

_ Things were going to be fine. Lance didn’t need Keith to be happy. _

 

 

 

Keith frowns at his phone. He and Lance had been texting about setting up another study session, but he couldn’t shake a nagging feeling he was getting. When they were in the library the other day, it became more obvious to Keith just how much of Lance’s life he had missed out on.

What if he learned to play the guitar like he always wanted to? When did he stop playing basketball? What if-- what if he has a girlfriend back home? No, surely Lance would have said something by now. However, that brings up the entire other issue of orientation. When Keith left, Lance was questioning, but hadn’t come to any kind of conclusion.

Aside from all the things Keith doesn’t know about Lance, there are also tons of things Lance doesn’t know about Keith. A large one being that Keith didn’t come out as gay until a year after he left his hometown. Anxiety is starting to eat at him, making him wonder if any of this is ever going to work out.

However, Keith tries to push those thoughts away and simply respond to the text Lance had sent him.

_**Lance:**_ Wanna grab lunch while we study? There’s a restaurant off campus that I’ve been dying to try  
_**Lance:**_ Plus I bet you’re getting tired of the dining hall food  
_**Keith:**_ Tempting but you have no idea the kind of culinary torture i’ve endured for the past five years  
_**Keith:**_ The dining hall may as well be five star dining at this point

Keith can recall one particular occasion wherein Shiro had tried to make him a chocolate cake for his 16th birthday. Shiro tried his hardest and was extremely determined to make Keith's favorite, but instead ended up with a giant brick and permanent scorch marks on the kitchen floor surrounding the oven. The cake sucked, but Keith appreciated the sentiment nonetheless. _ Maybe I should text him... _

Shiro’s cooking abilities (or lack thereof) aside, Keith knew he wasn’t being completely honest in avoiding Lance’s suggestion. He wasn’t sure why he was so reluctant to explain his main reasoning; it’s not like Lance was the type to judge on things like finances.

_**Keith:** _ Besides I don’t have a lot of money for food outside of my meal plan so..

Although Keith was able to get enough scholarships and grants to cover his basic expenses, he didn’t quite have enough leftover to be spent on eating out (or other recreational activities, for that matter). It didn’t make a lot of sense to put himself through the stress of working just for some unnecessary spending money, so he ultimately decided to try things without it for his first term. Fortunately, his lack of restaurant funds doesn’t appear to hinder his social life too much in this case.

_**Lance:**_ It’s chill I’ll buy  
_**Lance:**_ Think of it as repayment for all the tutoring you’ve been giving me haha

Keith smiles at his phone screen, glad Lance can’t see the dopey expression on his face.

_**Keith:**_ I guess I can’t say no to that  
_**Lance:**_ Awesome I’ll send you the address

Giddy, Keith tries to set his phone aside to focus on the homework he had abandoned earlier. He isn’t entirely successful, as his mind keeps drifting back to Lance and their plans. He knows he’s getting a little too caught up in his feelings, but can’t find it in himself to really do anything about it. He just hopes that he and Lance can work things out with each other. What that really entails, he isn’t sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to be patient in posting this, but nah. Same as before-- leave a comment if you want, and thanks for reading! <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I'm terrible? I have no excuse for posting this SO late, but here it is.

The second Keith enters the restaurant, he feels his nerves hit him full force. Despite his best efforts of pep talks and deep breaths, one glimpse at the back of Lance’s head sends him spiraling out of control again.

The restaurant he’s meeting Lance in is nice enough, though not too crowded-- it’s one of the few saving graces Keith is holding onto. They made their plans to meet here a few days prior, and Keith has been minorly panicking about it ever since. He isn’t sure exactly why; he’s dined with Lance before, so why is it a big deal all of the sudden?

Well, for starters, Lance is paying this time. That sets Keith on edge, because how is he going to choose his order with that going through his head? He doesn’t want to _seem_ nervous by getting a salad or something, but he also doesn’t want to buy something too expensive and seem impolite, either.

There are a few other reasons, of course. ( _None of them have to do with the date-like nature of the meeting, thank you very much, Pidge.)_ Keith tries not to dwell on them further, though, because he soon finds himself sitting down across from Lance and pulling out his notebooks.

_It’s just Lance; stop being so nervous!_

“Oh, hey man! Glad you could make it.” Lance grins up at him from where he is highlighting his textbook like mad.

“Hey, Lance.” Keith resists the urge to ask why he wouldn’t have made it and chooses to acknowledge the menu instead. “Have you ordered yet?”

Lance closes his textbook and pushes it to the side, picking up the other menu on the table. “Nah, I wanted to wait for you.”

“Thanks. Do you have any recommendations?”

“No, dude, like I said, this is my first time trying this restaurant.” _Oh. Right._ “I think it will be good, though. I mean, it had really good reviews and Hunk recommended it, so it has to be good.” Lance looks up from his menu to grin over at Keith. Keith gives him a quizzical look in response.

“Oh, yeah! Sometimes I forget you don’t really know Hunk. The guy is a culinary genius! Back home, he would bake these cakes-- oh man, you have to try his cooking sometime.” Closing his eyes in nostalgia, Lance seems to be taken back to one of the mentioned occasions.

Keith allows himself a moment to admire Lance’s features. The way his eyelashes--

Lance’s eyes snap open as Keith’s stomach growls loudly. Awesome.

“Haha, sorry, I didn’t realize you were so hungry!” He seems unaware of the red splotches currently taking over Keith’s face, or maybe he’s just too nice to acknowledge it. Either way, Lance is soon leaning over the table to point out Hunk’s suggestions on the menu.

After a few minutes of internal (and external, in Lance’s case) debate, they’ve placed their orders and are waiting for their food.

Keith glances at Lance’s discarded textbook on the table. “So do you want to get started on looking at our new material?” He isn’t that excited about it, and from the looks of it, Lance isn’t either.

Lance pouts slightly, which Keith definitely notices. “Hmm, maybe we can wait till after we eat? I don’t really feel like looking at it right now.”

Nodding, Keith sighs in relief. “Yeah, that’s fine with me.” A beat of silence goes by, neither of the boys looking directly at the other. Lance fidgets with the salt shaker on the table, before Keith attempts to break the silence.

“So how--”

“I was--”

Keith and Lance freeze as they both realize the other was trying to speak. After a second of staring at each other, wide-eyed, Lance finally decides to break the ice accumulating between them. He laughs slightly, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. “Sorry, dude, what were you gonna say?”

Keith releases the breath he was holding, smiling bashfully. “Uh, I was just wondering how your other classes were going so far?”

Smile brightening, Lance leans across the table. “Oh, man, they’re awesome! Hard, for sure, but I’m so happy to be at the Garrison. What about you?”

Keith can feel his posture relaxing slightly, unable to resist Lance’s magnetic personality. “They’re pretty good.” Smirking slightly, he continues. “You sure Iverson isn’t giving you too rough of a time?”

“Ugh, don’t get me started on Iverson! It’s bad enough that he has some personal vendetta against me, but he can’t even teach in the first place!” Lance makes a show of rolling his eyes dramatically, and Keith giggles slightly at his theatric display.

“Well, that’s what you have me for.” In a different context, it may have sounded different-- maybe even bitter. However, the soft way Keith says it carries a meaning that he hopes Lance can understand. He doesn’t mind helping Lance with their classwork; most days he even looks forward to it just for the sake of seeing Lance at all.

Judging by the way Lance smiles back at him, Keith is pretty sure he got the message. For once, Lance doesn’t say anything in response, just keeps looking at him with warmth painted across his features.

Keith doesn’t know how much more he can take of that expression, so he coughs into his fist and changes the subject. “But yeah, you didn’t really get off on a good foot with Iverson, what with being late so often.”

“Okay, you know what, I got lost!” Lance is trying to feign outrage, but he’s laughing too much to be convincing. “This campus is really big, okay?”

Smirking, Keith raises an eyebrow. “Uh huh, yet somehow I still manage to show up on time.”

Lance crosses his arms stubbornly, but the corners of his mouth still twitch up and there’s laughter in his voice. “That’s Keith for you. Always trying to one up me.”

“Not like you make it hard.” Lance’s eyes bug out of his head comically, and Keith can’t hold in his laughter any longer. Every time he starts to calm his raucous laughter, the expression on Lance’s face sends him back into uncontrollable giggles. “Sorry, sorry. I’m just kidding.”

Lance rolls his eyes and shakes his head with a reluctant grin. “You’re lucky I like you.”

“Oh, so you don’t just keep me around for the free tutoring?” Keith really tries to reign in his quips, but Lance just sets them up so perfectly that he can’t resist.

“I’m buying you lunch, aren’t I? Doesn’t sound very free to me.” Luckily, Lance doesn’t seem to mind, and responds back with the same amount of friendly sarcasm.

“Yeah, I guess not.” Keith ducks his head with a smirk. Though it should have been obvious, he can’t help but blush slightly at hearing Lance say he enjoys having him around.

They talk for a few more minutes about their experiences so far at the Garrison. Despite seeing each other in class and at least once a week for tutoring, it isn’t very often that they actually speak about their lives. Keith tries to catalog every detail Lance says, but he knows he won’t remember most of them. Hopefully this isn’t the last time they talk like this and Keith will get another chance to learn about Lance’s life.

Around halfway through Lance’s story about Frisbee Golf Club, their food arrives. Keith’s mouth is watering at the smell of his food, and he doesn’t hesitate to start eating immediately while Lance finishes his story.

“Oh my god, Lance, this food is amazing!” He doesn’t even care that he’s probably being super gross in front of his crush-- no, _friend,_ it is that good.

Lance seems just as delighted with his food, hurriedly swallowing his bite to answer. “I told you it was gonna be good, man! Hunk never disappoints when it comes to food. I couldn’t tell you how he finds these places, but I swear he always knows just where to go for good dining.”

Keith nods, too preoccupied with eating his food to respond. With the way he and Lance scarf down their meals, it isn’t long before they get the check. Keith can tell Lance is trying to hide the total from him, but he still feels slightly guilty for not contributing at all.

Trying to subtly reach for his wallet (he thinks he might have at least a little bit of cash left), Lance waves his hand and drops his card onto the tray. “Dude, I told you I was gonna buy lunch, so don’t even try to get all weird about it now.”

“But-”

“No buts! I’m not budging.” Lance raises an eyebrow as if daring Keith to challenge him, and Keith decides to take the loss. Maybe he can save up his money and make it up to Lance later, but for now he knows there’s no swaying Lance’s mind.

After a few minutes, Lance gets his card back, and they decide to walk back to campus together since their dorm buildings are relatively close to one another. The restaurant is just a few blocks from the Garrison, so it’s only a few minutes of walking in comfortable silence before they reach the edge of campus again.

Unlike when he first arrived to their meeting, Keith doesn’t feel nervous around Lance anymore. After talking, eating, and joking around with him, Keith feels like he at least has a grasp on who Lance has become. His personality is mostly the same, although his outlook on things like school and family seem to be a bit stronger. Despite being late to Iverson’s class so frequently, Lance does take his studies seriously, which is something he struggled with in their earlier school days.

It’s as Keith is thinking about school that he realizes they hadn’t ever gotten around to studying. He panics slightly, hoping Lance doesn’t regret their outing because of it. “Lance! We didn’t study!”

Lance must have been similarly deep in thought as Keith had been moments before, because he just about jumps out of his skin at Keith’s exclamation. “Oh, I guess we didn’t.” He doesn’t seem to mind?

“Aren’t you upset? We’re gonna have to meet again if you wanna keep up with what we’re learning in class.” Though Keith would love the opportunity to meet up more, he isn’t sure that Lance feels similarly.

Lance rolls his eyes humorously. “Wow, is hanging out with me that bad?”

“No! I just--” Keith cuts himself off when Lance looks at him with a smirk.

“Dude, it’s alright. As long as _you’re_ cool with it, I’m fine with meeting up again.” Lance hesitates slightly, as if trying to decide whether or not to say something. “And, you know, we could always hang out more, like outside of studying.” He smiles somewhat nervously, and Keith jumps to accept.

“Yes! I mean, yeah, that’d be cool.” Keith coughs awkwardly, hoping Lance can’t tell just how enthusiastic he is about the offer.

Lance nods at him with a smile, and Keith already can’t wait until the next time they see each other. Eventually, they part ways, and Keith walks the rest of the way to his dorm with a fond smile on his face.

 

 

  
  
Keith unlocks his dorm room to find Pidge’s side of the room empty. Though normally he’d cherish the time alone, he feels slightly disappointed, still riding on a bit of an emotional high from going out with Lance.

Sitting down on his bed, Keith briefly deliberates what to do next. With Pidge gone, he doesn’t really have many options. Right now, homework sounds impossible, and there isn’t anything he wants to see on Netflix. He checks his phone and finds no notifications. _Hmm._

He opens his Instagram feed, but sees nothing interesting. _Nature pictures-- scroll, people from high school-- scroll, product promotions-- scroll_ ... _Picture of a couple holding hands with an “inspirational” quote-- definitely scroll._

Groaning, Keith tosses his phone onto his pillow. He stares at the ceiling, but the air feels too quiet, too still. Lance’s energy is so _much_ that coming back to his empty room feels suffocating.

His mind flits back to the last picture he saw on Instagram, and suddenly he’s considering what it would be like to hold hands with Lance.

_No, nope. Not thinking about that._

Keith picks his phone up again in a hurry, desperate for a distraction. As he’s unlocking his screen, he remembers his plan to update Shiro on his recent life happenings, and presses the call button before he can think twice.

It rings a couple of times before Shiro’s voice is filling Keith’s speakers. _“Hello? Keith?”_

“Hey, Shiro.” Keith belatedly realizes that telling Shiro about his life requires thinking about Lance, due to the fact that Lance is indeed part of his life again.

_“Everything okay? You don’t usually call without texting first.”_

Keith grimaces, but tries to roll with it. “Yeah, I just figured I’d surprise you. I said I was gonna fill you in, so surprise! I’m filling you in.” Shiro doesn’t have to respond; Keith can already tell he failed to be convincing.

A faint sigh comes through. _“Keith.”_

“Look, I was just... bored, okay? Do you want info or not?” He knows he isn’t off the hook, but Shiro can’t resist intel. Keith is always reluctant to share, so it’s a rare offer.

_“I- fine. So what’s new? You mentioned new friends the other day.”_

_Here we go._ “Yeah, well, it’s really one friend. But his roommate is cool too, even if we haven’t talked much.” Keith braces himself for the coming conversation. “Remember Lance?”

There’s a pause. _“Do you mean Lance as in Lance McClain? The boy you used to be friends with before moving in with me?”_ Though he doesn’t say it, Keith can hear the implications. Shiro knows he wasn’t just “the boy he used to be friends with.”

“Yeah, that Lance.” Keith takes a deep breath. “Don’t make a big deal out of it, but that’s the new friend.” It comes out in a rush, but he knows Shiro heard him, because the line is almost dead silent.

“ _Keith-”_

“Look, I said don’t make a big deal! I already heard it from Pidge. Point is, he’s here. And we’re friends. Again.” Keith sighs in frustration, almost regretting calling Shiro in the first place.

 _“...Okay.”_ For once, Shiro doesn’t push the topic, though he sounds very reluctant to do so. “ _So how are things going with him?”_

“Uh, they’re good. We went out for lunch today.” Mistake. Keith wishes he could backpedal, but he knows Shiro isn’t letting him out of this one.

 _“Oh?”_ Yeah, there’s definitely a smirk and eyebrow raise on Shiro’s face.

“Not like that. We were gonna study, but we forgot.” Keith tries to make it sound nonchalant, but he can’t deny that he wishes it was actually the way Shiro is insinuating.

Shiro must hear the disappointment in Keith’s voice, because he doesn’t tease him further. _“I see. And you’re okay... studying with him?”_

Keith appreciates the metaphor, because he doesn’t think he is ready for reality. But he knows he needs to make progress. “I guess. I’m just not sure how he feels about... studying with me. So it seems impossible to think about more than that.”

_“Well, it seems like it’s gone well so far; that has to count for something. It’s okay if you want more than studying, though.”_

“Yeah,” Keith releases a breath. “Yeah, you’re right. I think... I might want more than studying.”

It seems ironic that Lance had been the one to bring up the prospect of them doing “more than studying” in a literal sense, while Keith is trying to come to terms with knowing he wants more but not being able to obtain it with the current relationship they have together. Except he isn’t really talking about studying.

Keith moves on from the subject of Lance, and opts to tell Shiro more about his college experience. He talks about his classes mostly, but doesn’t fail to brag about the dining hall mashed potatoes either. Overall, he’s glad he called Shiro; he can be aggravating at times, but he knows best how to get through to him when no one else can. It’s now just a matter of whether or not Keith acts upon Shiro’s unspoken advice.

 

 

 

“Ugh, you know he’s not the man for you, Jane. Stop pretending!” Lance yells at Hunk’s computer screen as the protagonist of _27 Dresses_ kisses her boss a second time, despite admitting she felt nothing during their first kiss.

Next to him, Hunk snickers. “Giver her a break, Lance; she’s had a crush on him for years.”

Lance rolls his eyes. Despite having seen the movie many times, he always hates this part. His only solace is the fact he knows Jane is about to realize who she truly has feelings for: the reporter who accidentally betrayed her.

Cuddling further into Hunk’s side, Lance watches Jane finally realize her real feelings.

_“That’s not what it’s supposed to feel like. When you’re with the person you’re meant to be with, it should feel like...”_

Hunk awes at the movie; he’s always a sucker for romantic comedies, despite complaining that Lance “drags him” into watching them. This isn’t the first time they’ve watched a romantic comedy while cuddled up together on Hunk’s bed, and it won’t be the last. It’s one of their favorite things to do together, and neither of them have much homework this weekend.

Lance finally gets back into the movie when Jane runs off to find Kevin, the reporter. A small smile inches onto his face-- he’s a sucker for these movies, too. As Jane finally tracks Kevin down, confesses her love, and kisses him for the second time in the movie, Lance can’t help but criticize the characters he cherishes so dearly.

“Finally. It sure took them long enough.” Lance huffs.

Hunk nudges Lance slightly. “Yeah, like you’re one to talk.”

“Excuse me?” The rest of the movie is just the main couple’s wedding, so Lance willingly ignores the screen.

Raising an eyebrow in disbelief, Hunk deadpans like the answer should be obvious. “Let’s just say Jane isn’t the only one with a crush whose name starts with ‘K.’”

Lance rolls onto his side to face Hunk more clearly. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

Hunk shifts slightly as well, but there isn’t very much room left on his bed with the two of them on it. “You know what I mean, Lance. You’re totally falling for Keith.” Lance splutters indignantly, but Hunk continues despite him. “Honestly, I think you fell for him when you guys were kids. You should have heard the way you used to talk about him.”

“Hunk, I--”

“And now you guys are back together, and I can tell you’re happier. On the days you get to see him, you get this grin on your face like Christmas is early, and you can’t deny you spend extra time picking your outfits when you go to meet him.”

The credits play in the background, and Hunk persists. “Look, I’m not gonna tell you what to do, but you should at least consider taking your own advice: stop pretending.”

Lance is momentarily speechless, unsure of how to respond to Hunk’s mini lecture. Sure, he’d considered the possibility of dating Keith, but in love with him? No way. Yeah, he’d love the chance to take him out or hold his hand, but that doesn’t mean anything. Would he kiss Keith? Well, if he offered, Lance certainly wouldn’t turn it down...

None of those things mean he’s _in love_ with Keith, though. To be in love with someone-- you have to think about them all the time, or feel silly nervous around them. You have to imagine a future with them, and be captivated by everything they do (even if you don’t always like it). And sure, maybe those things _do_ apply to Keith, but that doesn’t mean Lance is in love with him!

Hunk must sense the internal meltdown Lance is having, because soon he’s interrupting his thoughts. “Hey, it’s okay to not know.” Hunk wraps an arm around Lance, and pulls him in. “But if you think there’s a possibility, maybe you could try giving it a shot?”

Instead of responding, Lance simply buries his face in Hunk’s chest, giving him  all the answer he needs.

 

 

 

“Hey, so I had an idea.” Hunk leans across the pick up counter at Lance’s work. “You mentioned Keith has a roommate, right?”

He has a gleam in his eye that makes Lance nervous, but he nods nonetheless.“Yeah, her name is Pidge.”

“Okay, so what if we all go out together? You, me, Pidge, and Keith.” When Lance doesn’t immediately respond with enthusiasm, Hunk pleads his case further. “Think about it; we can go to a cool restaurant on campus, and all hang out together. It might even help you with, y’know, that _thing._ ”

Yes, Lance knows. The thing. AKA his ever growing awareness that he might actually be falling in love with Keith. He isn’t convinced by Hunk’s plan, though. “And how would us going out together help me with that?” Lance raises his eyebrow, and slides Hunk the drink he ordered a few minutes ago.

“Well, it could help you to imagine him in a different context. You’ve always said you want to be with someone you can have fun with, right? So think of it like a test run.”

“You mean like a fake date?” Lance is skeptical, at best. A customer walks in, so he quickly takes their order, but Hunk keeps talking to him over the counter as Lance starts to make the drink.

“Sort of? I mean, you’ve hung out with him during the day. Don’t you want to know what he’s like off the clock? Metaphorically speaking.”

Lance narrows his eyes as he measures out the ingredients for a frappuccino. “Honestly? Not really. I don’t think he’ll be that different.”

“Think of it this way: best case scenario you learn important info about Keith’s personality that can help you figure some things out, and worst case scenario you get to have a fun night out.” Hunk wiggles his eyebrows, and Lance can’t say no. He just looks so excited to have found a possible solution for Lance’s dilemma.

“I guess it’s worth a shot.” He sighs and hands the customer their drink. “I’m taking my break in a few minutes, so I’ll text him and figure out a day.”

Hunk grins, and _yeah_. There’s no way Lance was ever going to say no.

 

 

 

It’s the following Friday night when they go out. Not too surprisingly, Keith and Pidge were both into the idea, so it was relatively easy to set up. They agree on a restaurant-- a modestly priced pizzeria with Hunk’s blessing-- and meet up at 7:30.

The pizzeria is about half a mile away from campus, so they decide to walk together despite the chilly autumn air. As Lance and Hunk approach their determined meeting spot, Lance sees that Keith and Pidge are already there.

Though it’s dark out, there are enough lamp posts around for Lance to be able to see Keith’s smirk, presumably regarding something Pidge said. He can also see what Keith’s wearing, and Lance is thankful he spent a few extra minutes picking out his outfit. ( _Thanks for the acknowledgement, Hunk.)_

Keith has on a wool-like coat and a beanie with a fluff ball on the top, making himself look impossibly cute. He suddenly bursts out laughing at whatever Pidge’s follow up comment is, and Lance has to resist the urge to tackle him with a hug. He wants to blame the season for the soft, cozy aura that Keith has, but he knows he can’t.

Lance and Hunk finally make it to the meeting spot and greet the other pair. Hunk and Pidge are introduced to each other, and they seem to hit it off pretty quickly, which is good. Maybe Lance stands a _little_ too close to Keith, but it isn’t worth the mental energy to try stopping himself.

“Hey, Lance.” Keith probably says it normally, but Lance’s ears stop working the second he is face to face with him. His nose, cheeks, and ears are rosy pink from the cold, and Lance can see his breath. _Why, why, why, why?_

“Uh, hey, dude.” Lance tries to act normal by sending Keith a half grin and stuffing his hands into his pockets. “How’s it going?”

Keith is about to answer, probably with a typical answer like “good,” when Pidge addresses them.

“You guys coming any time soon?” It seems her and Hunk had already begun walking, only to realize the other half of the group hadn’t been following.

Lance snaps his gaze from Keith’s face up to the expectant looks of his friends, and is quick to jog over to them. “Yeah, sorry, we’re ready.” He doesn’t need to look at Hunk to know what he’s thinking, but a quick glance at Pidge’s fond eye roll tells him she knows more than he thought. She wouldn’t say anything to Keith, right?

As they start walking, Lance realizes an issue: sidewalk width. With Pidge and Hunk walking side by side ahead, it’s only logical for him to walk next to Keith. He does so without too much thought, but the problem soon arises as he catches his hand drifting towards Keith’s. Shoving his hand in his pocket again, he tries to walk slightly ahead of Keith so they aren’t so close.

Lance’s efforts prove to be futile, though, as Keith speeds up as well to keep up with him. He would be mad if he wasn’t so happy about it.

“So how’s your week been going? Haven’t talked much since we last saw each other.” Keith looks up at him with a curious glance, and puts his own hands in his pockets. Lance feels slightly comforted by the last fact.

“Pretty good; watched _27 Dresses_ with Hunk last weekend. Other than that, I’ve just been working and studying.” Lance nods slightly while Keith hums in response. “What about you?”

“Same, mostly. Besides working. And the movie. I haven’t seen that one since, well, the last time we watched it together.” Keith smiles nervously, as if he’s afraid he said something wrong.

 _27 Dresses_ has been Lance’s favorite romantic comedy for most of his life, so he definitely remembers the times he watched it with Keith instead of Hunk. They seem so far away now, but he can’t erase the memory of Keith’s intense grumpy face every time Lance would turn it on.

Laughing softly, Lance shakes his head. “I can’t believe you remember that.”

Keith smirks at him, seeming relieved at Lance’s reaction. “How could I forget? It’s practically engraved into my mind after watching it so many times.”

Lance laughs more openly at that. “Hey, you never know when your extended knowledge of wedding planning will come in handy.”

“Oh, yeah, I’m sure it will. It’s such a credible source, too.” Rolling his eyes sarcastically, Keith chuckles.

“Yep! And just think, you’ll have me to thank.” Lance can’t resist physical contact any longer, so he shoves Keith gently with his shoulder. Keith responds by shoving back, and soon they are at war. They settle down after a bit, but can’t help laughing at their ridiculousness.

Lance starts up a new conversation, telling a story about a rude customer from work, and by the time he’s finished they’ve arrived at the restaurant. Hunk, Pidge, Lance, and Keith all make their way to a half circle booth and sit down to order. A minor debate about pineapple pizza ensues, so in the end they go with a meat pizza.

Though he has Keith directly next to him, Lance manages to keep his focus on the group as a whole for almost the entire dinner. He isn’t sure if Hunk’s plan works exactly, but he does have fun, so it seems worth it. They talk about their majors and interests, and Lance has to admit he likes Pidge’s sass a lot more than he ever thought he would. With everyone getting along so well, he feels happy. Content.

Plus the pizza is awesome, so that doesn’t hurt either.

 

 

 

_“Well... good night!” Lance turned off the keys in the ignition, shifting slightly in the driver’s seat of his dad’s car. Years after his fleeting crush on Nyma, he found himself sitting next to the girl in question on his first date._

_(Yeah, he knew she was only doing it because Lance was the first junior to make swim team captain in 10 years, but he still wanted to give it a shot.)_

_Nyma looked up from her phone, sending whatever text she had been typing up for the past few minutes, and flashed Lance a fake smile. “Night, Lance.” Though having said her parting words, she didn’t move from the passenger seat._

_Should he kiss her? Yeah, that seemed like the right thing to do. Lance said he was going to give it a shot, and he wasn’t going to give up now._

_Lance soon found out that kissing someone in a car was not as easy as the movies made it seem. He leaned forward (thankfully, Nyma anticipated it and did so too) and, well, kissed her. At least he thought he did? That’s how kissing works, right-- pressing your lips on someone else’s._

_It was Lance’s first kiss, but he never expected it to be that hard to get the hang of. Why was it so complicated? He had kissed his family members’ cheeks more than enough times to know how to purse his lips; was this supposed to be different?_

_Nyma attempted to deepen the kiss, leaning over the center console of the car. However, the only thing that came of the action was Lance’s lip getting caught on the edge of her braces. Lance pulled away in pain, trying to suck on his lip._

_At that point, it was obvious to both parties that nothing would ever come of the two of them, so Nyma simply bid him good night again and hurried out of the car._

_What a night._

_Pulling out of the driveway, Lance began his drive home. Thankfully he didn’t live too far from Nyma’s house, but it was a long enough drive for his thoughts to run loose._

_He didn’t fully understand what had gone wrong with Nyma. He had tried his absolute hardest, but apparently it just wasn’t meant to be. He figured she’d stay in his mind as the one who got away._

_Well, that wasn’t quite right. While she definitely got away, she wasn’t the_ one _who got away. No, that title was reserved for someone else._

_Briefly, Lance wondered what Keith was doing at that moment. By now, it had been years since they last spoke, but he can’t help thinking of him every now and then. Maybe he was on a date of his own with some pretty girl. Knowing Keith, things would be going about a thousand times better than Lance’s date with Nyma had gone._

_Lance pictured Keith at the movies, sitting down with a big tub of popcorn and a grin on his face. Or maybe he was at the park stargazing. Lance imagined sitting down with Keith, looking up at the stars. Yeah, that date would have been way better than tonight..._

_Breaking out of his thoughts, Lance realized he hadn’t been picturing Keith on a date with a girl-- he had been picturing Keith on a date with himself._

_All of a sudden, Lance’s night felt a whole lot worse._

 

 

 

Keith wonders why the walk home couldn’t be as lighthearted as the walk to the restaurant. One minute they were all laughing and joking with each other, the next minute Hunk and Pidge are walking ahead again, leaving Keith with a silent Lance.

Typically, he would try to think of a conversation starter-- he did that earlier, and it worked out great-- but right now he can tell there’s something on Lance’s mind. If the atmosphere is any indicator, it’s heavy.

Keith wishes he could simply hug Lance. Maybe it would even help him feel a bit better. However, he knows that their friendship isn’t like that, or at least not yet, so he simply keeps walking in silence.

Ahead of them, Pidge laughs at something Hunk says and launches into some story of her own, complete with wild hand gestures. They both seem happy in each other’s company, and Keith is grateful for that, even if he feels a tiny pang of jealousy.

“Are they platonic soulmates, or what?” Abruptly pulled out of his thoughts, Keith turns to Lance, finding that the other boy has finally broken out of his headspace.

He gives Lance a hesitant smile. “Yeah, they sure seem like it. Emphasis on the platonic part, though; Pidge is aromantic.”

Lance nods, a faraway look in his eyes. Keith decides he can’t take it anymore, and sucks in a breath.

“Is everything okay? You seem kind of upset.” The words all come out in one big jumble as he releases his breath, but Lance seems to understand nonetheless.

“Oh, uh, yeah. I’m just thinking.” Lance’s posture tenses up slightly, but he seems otherwise unaffected.

Unsure if he should persist further, Keith bites his lip. He goes for it. “About what?”

“Huh?” It takes Lance a second to mentally catch up, seemingly surprised by the question. “Uh, y’know. Stuff.”

Keith is silent, but he thinks Lance will continue. Hopes.

“Just like, I feel kinda bad, y’know? Um, ‘cause when you left town I was kind of a jerk and all.”

 _Oh._ That is not at all where Keith thought the conversation was headed.

“Like, your dad-- and I was all, ‘you have to stay here’ when I should have just been there for you. It was super selfish.” Lance does an exaggerated version of his teenage voice when quoting himself, but apart from that stays serious and keeps his gaze locked to the sidewalk in front of them. “So, yeah. I’m, uh, sorry. For being selfish. And for being a terrible friend.”

They approach the edge of campus, walking on a path through a grassy area, but Keith doesn’t want the night to end like this. It _can’t_ end like this.

On sheer impulse alone, he stops and grabs Lance’s gloved hand, pulling him to a stop as well. Pidge will figure out what happened. Eventually. “I accept your apology, Lance. I’m not gonna lie and say it didn’t suck, but I think we both made mistakes back then.” He releases Lance’s hand gently, while Lance just stands frozen in shock.

“And... for what it’s worth, I’m sorry too. For never calling you back. I guess I was so afraid you hated me, that I thought it was easier to just ignore you. And after I didn’t respond for so long, I thought you definitely hated me then, if you didn’t already.”

“Keith,” Lance takes half a step forward and puts his hand on Keith’s shoulder gently. “I never hated you. I wanted to, definitely, but I couldn’t.”

Keith looks up at Lance through his bangs with a soft smirk. “Alright, I believe you.”

A relieved smile settles on Lance’s face, and he steps back. “Man, I am so glad we got that out there! To be honest, it’s been weighing on my mind for a while. Now we can just focus on being friends, though.” Though Lance seems perfectly content with the last phrase he said, Keith can’t help but drop his smile slightly. Lance definitely notices, if the sudden quirk of his eyebrow is anything to go by.

Finally deciding to own up to what he really wants with Lance, Keith sighs in resignation. “Um, I was actually doing some thinking myself recently. I think... maybe we could try being more than friends? As in, let’s go out? Together?” Keith holds his breath while he awaits Lance’s response.

For a few seconds, Lance just blinks at him. Wide eyed, silent blinks. “Uh...”

Keith tries to hold out hope, but the lack of a response is enough of an answer for him. He glances at the ground, trying to think of a way to backpedal. “It’s cool if you don’t want to, though--”

“Um, yeah.” Lance smiles nervously, scratching the back of his neck. “Yeah, I think I’d like that. No, I’d _definitely_ like that.”

Keith’s eyes snap up to Lance’s face, but Lance is keeping his gaze fixed on some bush off to the side. Keith smirks hesitantly. “Definitely?”

It gets the desired effect; Lance bounces back, ready with a retort. “Oh, like you can talk. _You’re_ the one who asked _me_ out in the first place.”

“Hmm. I guess I did.” In all honesty, he doesn’t have the emotional energy to goad Lance further, so he let’s him have this one. There will be plenty of time to antagonize each other later; Keith can say that for certain now.

They are both silent for a moment, staring at each other with subdued smiles. It’s only hitting Keith now that Lance actually accepted his offer, so his mind is in a slight state of panic. However, the soft look Lance is giving him blocks almost everything else out.

“Wait, Keith!” Lance breaks the moment they are having with a loud exclamation. “You like guys?!"

Though Lance seems genuinely perplexed by the concept, Keith can only hold his deadpan stare for a few seconds before he bursts out laughing. “Oh my god, Lance, are you serious right now?” The question is so ridiculous, Keith finds himself laughing until there are tears in his eyes.

“Ugh, it wasn’t _that_ funny.” Lance tries to sound upset, but Keith’s laughter is contagious enough to have him cracking a smile. Keith contains himself enough to occasional giggles, as Lance closes the distance between them. “Come here, you.”

Before Keith can process what’s happening, Lance has his arms wrapped tightly around him. They’re both wearing thick, constricting jackets, so it’s a little uncomfortable, but it doesn’t matter to either of them at all.

Keith is glad he doesn’t have to pretend that he has no feelings for Lance, because it allows him to enjoy the moment for all that it is. He doesn’t have to pull away too soon or pretend his face is red because of the cold air; he can simply enjoy having Lance in his arms.

Lance leans back slightly to look at Keith, though his arms are still wrapped around his waist. Keith wishes he could know what is going through his mind, and it takes him a moment to realize he can just ask.

“What’re you thinking about?”

Lance blushes slightly, which isn’t something Keith notices him doing often. “Uh, y’know. Stuff.”

“Hmm,” Keith tilts his head forward to rest on Lance’s shoulder. “Tell me?”

Lance hesitantly leans his head against Keith’s. “I’m just... really happy, is all.”

Keith senses there are more thoughts going through Lance’s head, but figures he isn’t ready to voice them yet. Besides, he’s happy too.

 

 

 

“Who knew you had such a sweet tooth?” Lance giggles at Keith, watching him fill his frozen yogurt cup with everything from Oreos to chocolate chips. He himself opted for a more fruity mix-- pineapple frozen yogurt with assorted fruits and dried coconut-- but Keith seems determined to pile his cup high with every type of chocolate flavored topping available. (There’s a lot.)

Dumping three scoops of KitKat pieces into his cup, Keith responds with a smirk. “It’s unlimited toppings for $5; I’m taking all I can get. You just can’t handle it.”

Lance knows, he _knows,_ Keith is just trying to get a rise out of him. Does that stop him from scooping white chocolate chips and a few gummy sharks into his mix? Not at all. “What was that you were saying about me not being able to handle something?” He adds some strawberry syrup for good measure.

Keith rolls his eyes, finally satisfied with the chocolate monstrosity he’s created, as they walk to the register. Despite feeling like he’s giving Keith an earlier death, Lance pays for their desserts, glad to be treating Keith to their third official date.

As they sit down at a table, Keith smiles mischievously. “Want a bite?” Keith holds out his spoon to Lance, filled with chocolate frozen yogurt and an unknown concoction of toppings. He does so with a smug smirk, knowing full well that Lance wants no such thing.

Lance scoffs, and takes a bite of his own frozen yogurt. “Sure, when I’m dead.”

“Suit yourself.” Keith takes his first bite, making a show of savoring the chocolatey flavor.

“You are _so_ gross.” Lance tries to be serious, but he’s laughing through the empty insult.

Keith licks his lips and smiles softly at him. “Yeah, but you love it.”

In the past, they’ve both made similar remarks to each other, but Lance feels differently this time. A few weeks ago, he would have brushed it off with an affectionate “whatever,” but he can’t bring himself to do so now.

“I guess I do.” Lance fights the urge to look down, and instead keeps his gaze locked on Keith’s face, watching the way his eyes dart up in shock.

“What?” The teasing smirk from before is gone, now replaced only with vulnerable disbelief.

“I mean, I didn’t think we’d be doing this today, in the middle of Yogurtland, but here goes.” Lance sets his spoon down, placing his hands on the table with a deep breath. “Keith, when you asked me out that first time, I couldn’t have been happier. Ever since we were kids, you’ve been so important to me, and being away from you felt like missing a part of myself. I know things are different now than they were then, but it still feels the same.”

He swallows nervously before continuing. “You’re an amazing person, Keith, and I love going out with you. I love hearing you laugh and seeing you smile-- really, I just love _you._ I’m _in_ love with you.”

Lance knows he should give Keith a minute to process what he just said. He doesn’t expect an immediate response, nor a similar one, because honestly the confession was completely out of the blue. However, after a few seconds of Keith continually staring at him in shock, Lance’s impulse to fill the silence takes over.

“I mean, I know it’s way too soon in a relationship to say that, but really we aren’t a very typical relationship in the first place, you know? And like, don’t feel like you have to say anything back, because it’s totally understandable if you’re not there yet--”

“Lance, please stop talking.” The corners of Keith’s lips are turned up _just_ enough to tell Lance he isn’t upset. “I know what you mean. About all of that. And I... I’m in love with you too.”

Lance blinks owlishly. “You are?”

Keith laughs softly, looking off to the side bashfully. “Yeah, I am.”

A smile slowly works its way across Lance’s face as he fully realizes what Keith just said. “ _Oh._ ”

It takes them a few minutes of post-confession shyness, but eventually they get back into their typical banter, firing good-natured taunts and jabs back and forth. They finish eating their frozen yogurt feeling light with happiness-- never mind the stomachache Keith gives himself-- and walk out of the Yogurtland hand in hand.

They’ve held hands a few times before, and while Lance cherishes it every time, Keith always seems the slightest bit hesitant about it. However, he insists he enjoys holding Lance’s hand and that it’s just a matter of him getting used to the physical contact.

Lance doesn’t really mind the last bit; of course he can’t wait until they can do more things (i.e. kissing), but he’s more than fine waiting until Keith is ready. Besides, Keith’s hands are surprisingly soft, although obviously not as soft as his own.

Once outside, Keith pulls Lance to a stop and turns to face him. “Hey.” Still holding hands, they are standing close enough that their chests almost touch. “Can I try something?”

Lance absentmindedly wishes Keith would kiss him, but figures he probably won’t. “Uh, sure.”

The second the words are out of his mouth, Keith is leaning forward and doing just what Lance had hoped. Keith kisses him firmly (it is Keith, after all) but gentle nonetheless. Lance kisses him back earnestly, reaching out with his free hand to cup his cheek.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Lance suddenly understands Jane’s line in _27 Dresses._ When you’re with the one you’re meant to be with, it should feel like... well, it should feel like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> author: [girraffepancakes](http://girraffepancakes.tumblr.com/)  
> artist: [mari-flower-dlart](https://mari-flower-dlart.tumblr.com/)  
> beta: [blipspan](https://blipspan.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Thanks again everyone for reading!


End file.
